After the night raid in Nusaybin (Nisêbîn) on Tuesday night, resulting in one dead and two arrested, the Turkish authorities continued the state terror throughout the day. During further searches in the city, several people were taken into custody, accused of being supporters of a terrorist organization. Those taken into custody were taken to the police headquarters in the provincial capital, Mardin (Mêrdîn).

Five of the seven people taken into custody were released late on Tuesday night.

What happened?

On Tuesday night, an apartment on Sakarya Caddesi in the center of Nusaybin was stormed by paramilitary "police special forces for countering terrorism" (PÖH). After the officers forcibly entered the apartment, an explosion is said to have occurred, witnesses told the media. A woman allegedly linked to the Associations of Free Women (YJA Star) - the PKK's autonomous women's guerrillas - died during the raid. However, it is unclear in what way.

According to the Turkish Ministry of the Interior, the woman, whose identity has not been released, has been "neutralized". Allegedly, a patrol was initially deployed on Sakarya Caddesi because, following a tip, it was assumed that a “person behaving suspiciously” was staying in the apartment in question. "Just" an identity check should have taken place, but allegedly the stranger opened fire on the officers. As a result, a PÖH unit was called in, which finally carried out an "operation". The patrol officers were "miraculously" unharmed.

According to the Interior Ministry, a subsequent search of the apartment, which is said to belong to the former co-chair of the district branch of the Democratic Regions Party (DBP), Bedia Adıgüzel, allegedly found several silencers, weapons, hand grenades and ammunition. A review of "seized documents" is said to have finally revealed that "the terrorist" had planned a "sensational action" in Nusaybin and is said to have already spied out various places such as public facilities for a possible attack.

Residents, however, denied this information.

According to them, there were no shots from the apartment at patrol officers. Only the sound of a detonation was heard after PÖH people entered the apartment. "Everything indicates that the state was planning an extrajudicial execution," said one person, whose name was withheld for security reasons. Since the weekend, significantly more police and military officers than usual have been present in the city center of Nusaybin. The unknown woman was not "neutralized" but apparently killed herself. The PKK has not commented on what happened yet.

At least seven arrests were carried out in connection with the raids. Ex DBP co-chair Bedia Adıgüzel was taken into custody immediately after the incident this morning together with an unknown person who is said to have been injured when the apartment was stormed.

During the day, the police stormed other houses in Nusaybin. Four members of a family - mother, father, daughter and son - as well as Remziye Bayhan, who replaced Adıgüzel as DBP co-chair were arrested. What they are specifically accused of is not known. The authorities refuse to give any information.